David Maurice Sharp

Age: 52
Hometown: New York City
Cause: Teaching money skills to actors

Sharp, a former professional dancer who began working full-time on Wall Street in 2002, knows firsthand that financial security doesn't come easy in the performing arts. So since 2008 the part-time choreographer has taught free, bimonthly two-hour financial lessons, ranging from budgeting to investing, at the storied HB Studio acting school. He emails financial tips monthly to hundreds of students. And he speaks at other forums for artists, like a recent Screen Actors Guild panel titled "Overcoming a Scarcity Mindset."

Says Sharp:

Artists have a lot more freedom if they're not worrying about money when taking on a project."